Study the A62 by drilling role boundaries and stop-work triggers, not by memorising lift-plan headings. Work through paper scenarios where site conditions change, trace every decision to either the Appointed Person or the supervisor, and practise writing the referral that hands a problem back for re-planning. Finish with a self-marked plan-review drill and a readiness checklist you can score honestly.
Where the A62 supervisor's authority stops and the Appointed Person's begins
The supervisor controls the lifting operation day to day; the Appointed Person plans it and owns the lift plan. Nearly every scenario in this subject is a test of which role a given decision belongs to.
In UK practice, crane operations are commonly organised around the framework described in BS 7121, under which a competent Appointed Person plans the operation, selects the crane and crew, assesses the risks, and produces a written plan. The crane or lifting operations supervisor then puts that plan into effect: positioning the crane as planned, briefing the crew, controlling the exclusion zone, and monitoring the lift as it happens.
The distinction has practical teeth. If site conditions match the plan, the supervisor instructs the crew and manages execution without further reference. If conditions differ from the plan, the supervisor cannot simply rewrite it; the correct action is to stop, make the situation safe, and refer back to the Appointed Person so the plan, risk assessment, and briefing can be formally revised. Practise writing that referral in one or two sentences for each scenario you study.
Basic, intermediate, and complex lifts: what changes for you at each level
Lifts are graded by complexity and risk, and the depth of planning scales with the grade. Your supervisory checks and referral points scale with it, so classifying the lift in front of you is the first decision.
A basic lift typically involves a standard load, a single crane, familiar conditions, and no special hazards, so a relatively simple plan suffices. Intermediate lifts add factors such as loads that are awkward in shape or fragile, operations near structures, overhead services, or public areas. Complex lifts involve matters such as multiple cranes or tandem lifts, lifting people, loads that obstruct the crane operator's view for the whole lift, or other exceptional hazards.
For each grade, ask what changes for the supervisor. On a basic lift you can usually rely on a concise plan and a verbal briefing. On an intermediate lift you should verify that the plan explicitly addresses each identified hazard and that the crew understands their specific duties. On a complex lift, expect a detailed documented plan, a formal structured briefing, and defined communication arrangements, and be alert to anything that moves the job into a higher grade than the plan assumes. Rehearse re-grading a lift when conditions change.
Challenging a lift plan before the crane arrives: a five-point read-through
Review the plan against the physical site before work starts: load and capacity, ground and positioning, exclusion zone, crew competence, and communications. Each check has a specific question attached to it.
Start with the load and the crane. Confirm the stated load weight and how it was established, then trace the lift against the crane's capacity information: the heaviest point in the lift is usually the combination of maximum radius and boom length, not the weight alone. Move to the ground and position: outrigger or track loads, pads, slopes, and underground services beneath the standing area.
Then check the human and organisational elements. Does the plan name a competent crew, and does everyone on site today match the names and duties? Are exclusion zones, barriers, and pedestrian routes described in a way you can physically walk on site? Are communications specified: how the signaller and operator talk, and what happens when the load goes out of the operator's view? Where a check cannot be verified on paper, the outcome should be a question to the Appointed Person before the crane moves, not an assumption on the day.
| Decision | Appointed Person | Crane/Lifting Operations Supervisor |
|---|---|---|
| Selecting the crane and configuring the lift | Owns this decision | Checks setup matches the plan |
| Producing and amending the lift plan | Produces and formally revises it | Implements it; cannot rewrite it |
| Daily briefing of the crane crew | May set briefing requirements | Delivers the briefing and confirms understanding |
| Halting the operation | May stop work at any point | Stops work when conditions deviate, then refers back |
| Adapting to changed site conditions | Re-plans and re-approves | Makes the situation safe and escalates |
Scenario 1: the delivered load does not match the plan
A heavier or different load arriving mid-shift is a re-planning trigger, not a supervisor's calculation exercise. The better decision is to stop the lift, secure the area, and refer the change to the Appointed Person.
The situation: a plan covers lifting precast roof units of a stated weight with a mobile crane at a stated radius. The delivery arrives with a different, heavier panel type. A plausible mistake is to read the capacity chart yourself, find a reduced radius that appears to work, and instruct the crew to proceed with a verbal amendment. The error is not the arithmetic; it is that a recalculated lift is a new lift, potentially a different complexity grade, planned by nobody.
The better decision: halt before the crane is rigged, confirm the actual load weight from its documentation, keep the exclusion zone in place, and contact the Appointed Person with the facts. The plan is then formally revised, the crane configuration rechecked against it, and the crew re-briefed on the amended arrangement before any hook is moved. Rehearse this scenario in writing and force yourself to phrase the referral: what changed, what you verified, what remains uncertain, and what you have secured in the meantime.
Scenario 2: the signaller is absent and a substitute is offered
A crew member without the required competence is a stop condition, whatever the pressure to keep the crane working. The supervisor's decision is to halt, escalate, and hold the operation until competent cover arrives.
The situation: the crew arrives but the trained signaller is absent, and a labourer is offered to give hand signals. A plausible mistake is to proceed by having the supervisor signal while also watching the load, or by accepting improvised signals. This fails on two counts: the person signalling lacks the training the plan assumes, and a supervisor attempting to watch the crane, the load, and the signal simultaneously is doing several jobs badly at once.
The better decision: stop the lift before rigging begins, record why in your brief notes, and refer back so the crew in the plan can be substituted with competent personnel and the plan amended. While waiting, use the time productively: re-walk the exclusion zone, check the pads and position against the plan, and confirm the load documentation. Practise the judgment separately from the paperwork: for any plan, list which crew roles the lift cannot proceed without, and what evidence of competence you would expect to see for each.
Briefings and records: what is said aloud, what is written down
The briefing transfers the plan's relevant content to the crew; the record proves it happened and captures changes. Treat these as two separate outputs and practise producing both from the same scenario.
A briefing should cover, in the crew's language: what is being lifted and how, the crane configuration, each person's specific duty, the signalling and communication arrangements, the exclusion zone and who enforces it, the specific hazards identified in the plan, and what to do if anything deviates. It should invite questions and end with confirmation that the crew understands, not just an assumption of silence.
The record should be contemporaneous and factual: who was briefed and when, which revision of the plan they were briefed on, any amendment requested or approved during the shift, any stoppage and its resolution, and any condition observed that differs from the plan. Note that no specific form is universally mandated; what matters is that the content is captured and available. If you cannot reconstruct the day's lifting decisions from your notes alone, the record is not yet good enough.
- Self-check rubric for a written briefing (score each 0-2): the load, crane configuration, and lift sequence are all named; every named crew member has an explicit duty; communication and out-of-view arrangements are stated; deviations and the stop-and-refer rule are stated; the record names who was briefed and on which plan revision.
- Interpreting your total: 0-4 signals you are describing a lift from memory rather than from a plan; 5-7 signals the content is present but the referral and record-keeping decisions need drilling; 8-10 signals you are ready to move to timed scenario practice. These are learning milestones only, not predictions of any assessment outcome.
A four-week preparation sequence and honest readiness checks
Build the sequence around decision drills: roles first, then plan categories, then plan review, then timed scenarios. Finish each week by self-marking against a rubric rather than re-reading notes.
Week one: learn the roles and their boundaries, using your own table like the one above, and practise assigning decisions to an owner. Week two: learn lift categories and re-grade three paper lifts where one condition changes. Week three: take any available sample plan structure and run the five-point read-through against a described site, writing your questions to the Appointed Person in full sentences. Week four: run timed scenarios, including the two worked here, producing a stop decision, a referral, and a briefing record for each.
Use flashcards for definitions and mind maps to connect roles, categories, and plan contents, but spend most of your time writing decisions, because the subject is applied judgment. Administrative matters such as card routes, test booking, and current requirements are owned by the scheme and its awarding body, so confirm those details directly with CPCS via cpcs.uk.org rather than relying on second-hand summaries. Adapt the sequence to your existing site experience: if you already brief crews routinely, compress week three and extend scenario practice.
- Readiness check 1: given any described lift, you can state its likely complexity grade and the planning depth it implies, with reasons.
- Readiness check 2: given a changed condition, you can write a two-sentence referral to the Appointed Person that names the change, the risk, and the current safe state.
- Readiness check 3: you can list the content of a crew briefing from memory and distinguish it from the written record.
- Readiness check 4: you can identify, in a scenario, at least three conditions that would make you stop a lift before rigging or during the operation.
References and further reading
Use these references to explore the concepts and check the latest information from the relevant organizations.